Today’s
Scripture Reading (April 2, 2020): Jeremiah 8
King Tutankhamun, or King Tut, might
be one of the best known of the Pharaohs of Egypt. Tut is remembered as the boy
king who died in 1325 B.C.E. at the age of 18 or 19. His death was likely a
result of an infection he received because of a broken leg. Tut was buried in a
tomb we identify as KV62 in the Valley of the Kings, and with him was buried a
great wealth of treasures, as was a common tradition with Egyptian burials. While
the tombs of the Pharaohs were supposed to be secure resting places where the kings
could spend eternity with some of the wealth they had acquired during life, this
practice of burying treasure with the deceased kings encouraged unscrupulous people
to rob these graves of their wealth.
And it appears that King Tut’s grave,
in particular, was robbed twice in ancient times. But despite those robberies,
there was still a lot of artifacts in KV62 left for modern researchers to
discover – and essentially to steal – when they found the burial place. The
temptation presented by the treasurer was too great, even for us. Much of what was
found in KV62 has been removed. The treasures have toured the world museums,
trying to satiate our curiosity for things from that part of World history. The
mummy was removed and studied, giving us more information about King Tut, then
we could obtain from just the historical records alone. But we need to admit
that we are simply more considerate robbers; we have also removed wealth from a
tomb that was supposed to be a resting place for eternity. The body of
Tutankhamun has been returned KV62, where it currently rests. But his treasure
will not return to King Tut’s resting place. Eventually, it will find its final
resting place in the Grand Egyptian Museum, where it can be seen and protected.
Because treasure was often buried
with earthly kings, soldiers routinely looted the graves that they found in the
nations that they defeated. Sometimes, just the treasure was removed. But often,
the anger and hatred for the defeated nation resulted in graves being opened, the
treasures stolen, and the bodies being left on the ground out in the open, a
symbol of disrespect. Adam Clarke argues that “This custom of raising the
bodies of the dead and scattering their bones about, seems to have been general.
It was the highest expression of hatred and contempt.”
And Jeremiah’s vision revealed that
this desecration was going to happen in Jerusalem and Judah. It wasn’t just
that those who died in the coming battle with Babylon whose bodies would be left
to rot unburied, desecrated by the enemy and the sun. It was also those who had
died long ago, including kings, priests, and the ordinary people of the nation,
who would be dishonored. Their artifacts would be stolen, and their bodies
would be disrespected, and there was nothing that anyone could do to change the
coming desecration.
Tomorrow’s
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 9
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